


Burn The Flag

by unenchantingly



Series: Heliophilia [7]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Daughter of Apollo!Reader, F/M, Friendship, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Pre-Relationship, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, photokinesis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28629192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unenchantingly/pseuds/unenchantingly
Summary: You were not really thinking when you did it. It was more of a reflex than an actual strategy. All you wanted was for them to stop fighting before they did some actual damage to each other. You summoned a small ball of light in your hand and hurled it between Percy and Thalia, accompanied with the shout, “That’s enough!”. You had not exactly been aiming for anything, but your ball of light had hit the blue flag, which was now on fire.-----Alternatively: you accidentally burn the flag in the game of capture the flag against the Hunters of Artemis.
Relationships: Percy Jackson/Reader
Series: Heliophilia [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1959973
Comments: 13
Kudos: 62





	Burn The Flag

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! You have stumbled about a story with an overarching plot following a daughter of Apollo and the trials and tribulations she faces. It will start in Percy Jackson and The Olympians and continue into Heroes of Olympus. It is a Percy Jackson/Reader fanfic. Comments and constructive criticism are very much welcome!
> 
> The characters and the plotline of the books are not mine and belong to their respective owners. The story is mine, however, as is the character of 'the reader'. Please do not publish this story elsewhere without asking for my permission.

The morning after your midnight visit to the Poseidon cabin, you quickly rushed to breakfast. Michael had been giving you a teasing wiggle of his eyebrows. He was convinced that there was something brewing between you and Percy. Your only response was a roll of your eyes and bright red cheeks. There was nothing going on between you and Percy. You were just good friends. Nothing more, nothing less. You noticed that Nico Di Angelo was sitting with the Stoll brothers, chatting away about something or another. Connor and Travis looked bored out of their minds, so you decided to save them from their misery.

Walking over to the Hermes table, you waved at your two friends, “Hi guys, what are you up to?” you asked, taking a seat at their table. You knew that you technically weren’t allowed to sit at the Hermes table because you were a child of Apollo, but you also were not allowed to break curfew, be alone in a cabin with a boy that was not your sibling, or sneak into someone else’s cabin in the middle of the night. Another rule broken did not really matter much to you. Besides, there was hardly anyone at camp anyway. You did not think that Chiron would be too bothered about it.

Connor grinned at you and Nico looked at you curiously. Travis quickly introduced you to Nico, and the younger boy looked excited.

“Daughter of Apollo? That’s so cool! He has plus thirty health and two thousand defense!” Nico exclaimed, grabbing the card and showing it to you.

You raised an eyebrow and took the card from him to inspect, “Wow,” you said, not really knowing what else to say. You turned the card around, “Mythomagic. . “ you read out loud.

“Yeah, you want to play?” Nico asked, eyes filled to the brim with excitement.

Travis smirked, “Yeah, she’d love to play!”

Before you could protest, Travis and Connor slipped from their seats and scurried off, turning back to give you a cheeky wink and a teasing wave before they were out of sight.

Nico looked at you expectantly and you smiled at him, “I’d love to play with you, Nico.” You wondered why Travis and Connor were so reluctant to play the game with Nico. You figured it could not be that bad. Then Nico started talking, and you understood why they needed a break from the new kid.

“I met your dad. He seemed pretty cool but he would not let me drive the solar car though.” Nico started talking as he set up the game. I tried to open my mouth to respond. “If Apollo’s your dad, does that mean you tan easily? Do you get sunburns?”

“I uh,” you sighed, gathering your patients before turning to Nico with a kind smile. “I don’t really know, Nico. I don’t spend a lot of time tanning.”

The smile that was apparent on your lips widened as you caught sight of Percy walking across the pavilion with Grover the Satyr. You waved at him and he waved back with a grin.

Nico was quiet as he watched the exchange before he opened his mouth and asked the question that made you blush ten shades of red, “Is Percy your boyfriend?”

Why did everyone keep asking you that? “No, Percy is not my boyfriend.” You replied calmly, turning your attention to the game. “Now how about you tell me how I’m supposed to play this game.”

After about an hour of playing Nico’s Mythomagic game, you told him that it was time to get to your training duties. He thanked you for the game and told him that you were always welcome to join him for a game of Mythogamic. You told him you’d love to. Once the game started, he stopped asking you questions and it was your turn to ask him questions (about the game, though). You spent some time in the med bay trying to work on your healing skills, but you soon came to the conclusion that you would never be a proper healer. Archery practice with Chiron went a lot better.

You had asked Percy if he had decided to talk to Chiron yet, and he told you that he had heard from Grover that Zoe Nightshade had a dream about Artemis the same night as Percy. You told him that you did not think that it could be a coincidence. As a child of Apollo, you believed that fate was a driving force. Somethings just _wasn’t_ a coincidence. Having prophetic dreams about an intertwined event did not seem like a coincidence to you. Percy told you he was going to visit the oracle. You were not too sure about that idea, since you had a feeling that the oracle was not going to tell Percy what he wanted to hear. However, Chiron chastised you and Percy for ‘standing around’ while you should have been practicing archery, so you did not have the chance to protest his plan. After practice, Percy had raced off to Half-Blood Hill. You did not see him again until it was time for Capture the Flag against the Hunters of Artemis.

The Hunters had about fourteen players on their team and Camp Half-Blood had about the same. You had approached Percy before the game started to ask if the Oracle had told him anything, but he shook his head with a sad smile. You decided not to press the issue. Instead, you grabbed the new bow and arrows you had received from your father and a set of celestial bronze throwing knives. You had your short blad _light drinker_ with you as well, but you knew for a fact that Thalia was going to put you on defense due to your talent with a bow. No doubt she and Percy were going to go on the offense.

When decided on the strategy, there was a tense and awkward atmosphere in the air. The Aphrodite kids were ready to humiliate the Hunters. The rest were kind of just waiting to hear the plan. The problem was that no one really knew who the team leader was. Though Percy seemed like the obvious choice to you due to his experience in the field, Thalia technically had a higher status due to her being the daughter of Zeus. They had decided to become co-captains, but you knew that it was not going to end well.

“I’ll take the offense, you take defense,” Thalia offered Percy as they were deciding strategy, and you looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

Percy did not seem to like the idea much, as he questioned whether she should be better at defense with her shield Aegis, to which Thalia countered that he had more experience with defense. You had to bite your lip not to make a comment about the fact that while Percy had been on two quests in the last few years, whereas Thalia had spent her time as a pine tree. The last quest had even saved her life. Deciding against speaking out, you frowned as Percy capitulated and took on the task of defense.

You did not want to get on Thalia Grace’s bad side. You quite liked her, after all.

Strapping on the rest of your armor, with a bit of help from your brother Michael, you watched the Hunters of Artemis for a moment. They did not seem to be very excited about the game. You could not blame them. They always won these games, after all. Connor and Travis were whispering among each other, and Nico was bothering Percy with questions about the game. Will had decided not to join in on the game. He was going to help Chiron tend to the wounded as a field medic. The last time the Hunters were at Camp Half-Blood, most of the boys needed some time in the Med Bay to recover.

“Heroes,” Chiron announced, indicating that the game was going to start. “You know the rules; the creek is the boundary line. The blue team – Camp Half-Blood – will take the west wood while the red team – Hunters of Artemis – shall take the east. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic, alongside Will Solace. No intentional maiming, please.” He gave everyone a strict look, before shouting, “To your positions!”

You followed Thalia to the top of Zeus’ Fist, where the blue flag was sitting. Despite being co-captain with Percy, Thalia confidently took charge. It was probably what was expected of her, being the daughter of the King of the Gods and all. She told Silena Beauregard to take two of the fastest runners and act as a decoy party while Thalia led the made raiding party around to the right to catch the hunters by surprise. Percy was in charge of defense. The Stoll brothers, Beckendorf and Nico were in his party, while Michael and I would act as scouts.

“Anything to add, Percy?” Thalia asked, looking expectantly at Percy.

"Um, yeah. Keep sharp on defense. We've got four guards, two scouts. That's not much for a big forest.” He pointed out, reminding everyone that he was a natural leader, much like Thalia. “I'll be roving. Yell if you need help." He quickly glanced your way, causing you to raise an eyebrow at him.

“And don’t leave your post,” Thalia added.

“Unless you see a golden opportunity,” Percy countered.

Thalia did not seem to agree with that. “Just don’t leave your post.”

“Right, unless-”

“Percy!” Thalia sharply said his name, though you could tell that there was a hint of frustration in your voice. You could not help but let a laugh escape your lips, causing everyone to look at you, and Thalia to narrow her eyes in annoyance. You could tell by looking at the rest of the campers that everyone was quite amused by the power battle between Percy and Thalia.

Thalia cleared her throat, “Now, is everyone clear?”

With a collective nod, the blue team broke into smaller groups. The horn sounded, and the game began.

Silena’s group quickly disappeared and Thalia’s group following a few seconds afterward. Michael was off as well. He decided to take the east side of the woods and you would take the west side. You waved at the four boys stuck on defense and wished them good luck heading into the woods. Before you got far, you turned around and called out over your shoulder, “Oh, Percy. Yell if you need help.” With a teasing wink, you turned around and smirked as you heard Connor and Travis laugh.

It was straight to business after that. You quickly headed to a secure vantage spot a bolder shadowed by low hanging branches that had a good view of the west part of the woods. Luckily, the area was not that large, so you could see quite a lot of the battlefield. You nocked an arrow and carefully watched as the blue team carried out their plan. Silena and her party ran through the clearing, followed by five Hunters on their tail. You had to hand it to Thalia. Her plan seemed to be working.

As soon as you let out a satisfied sigh, you regretted it, as a group a Hunters were heading to the right, ready for battle and headed straight for Thalia. You sat perched on the boulder, ready to fire your arrows to distract the group of hunters so that Thalia could get through, but then you noticed three of the hunters sneaking past the groups and heading for Zeus’s first. Immediately, springing into action, you shot one of your arrows, causing the three Hunters to search for their attacker. You ran over to them, nocking another arrow, shooting as soon as you were a few feet from them. As you got closer, you recognized that one of the Hunters was Zoe Nightshade. You nearly shot her in the foot as she tried to run past you. It was a warning shot, though. You were not allowed to intentionally maim them. She wore a shocked expression on her face before it turned into a look of admiration. Or at least, you thought so. You knew that the red-haired girl on her right side was called Phoebe and you thought that the blonde girl on her left side was called Celyn, but you were not too sure.

Keeping your bow up, you blocked Zoe’s path, threatening to shoot them if they took a step. It was quiet for a few moments before Phoebe rolled her eyes, “You can’t possibly take all three of us on,” she said.

You smiled at her, “You are absolutely right,” was your simple reply before you raised your voice to a shout, directed at the defense party, “INCOMING!!” You knew that you did not need to say more. Connor and Travis would understand what you meant by that.

Phoebe groaned in annoyance that their cover was blown. Zoe considered you for a moment, before turning to her huntresses. “I’m going for the flag. Cover me.”

“I’ll deal with her,” Celyn said, firing an arrow at you without saying anything more, simultaneously allowing Phoebe to follow Zoe to Zeus’ first and take out the defense team. 

You ducked to the side to dodge the arrow. In less than a second, you retaliated by shooting your own arrow. The Huntress easily evaded the arrow, advancing towards you with a large dagger. You did not have a long sword with you, only your short blade _light drinker._ You blocked the blow with your bow, turning to jab your elbow in her stomach. She grimaced, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she lunged forward once more. You rolled to the side, landing on one knee and instantly firing another arrow. 

"You are a worthy opponent in battle," Celyn complimented you. 

You were surprised by the genuine compliment the Hunter had given you. From what you had seen of the Hunters of Artemis, they did not seem like the kindest lot. With the sudden words of kindness, you guessed they were only rude to boys. "Uh, thanks," you replied, not really knowing what to say. "You too," you added, not wanting to be rude by not returning the compliment. 

The background noise was starting to grow louder, and you quickly looked up to see Bekendorf standing in front of Nico, shielding him from the arrows by the Huntresses while Connor and Travis were basically human targets for Phoebe's arrows. You frowned, taking a step back from your battle with Celyn to fire at Phoebe so that Connor and Travis could defend the flag. Percy was nowhere to be seen. You had a feeling that he was going for the flag.

While you were distracted by helping your friends, Celyn took the opportunity to advance, swinging her dagger, it missing you by an inch. She kept stepping forward and you had to step back to dodge her blows.

Celyn had been moving so quickly that you did not have the time to consider your surroundings. You groaned in pain, rolling to the side to avoid another one of Celyn's blows before quickly positioning yourself into a crouch, hooking your foot under Celyn’s, causing her to land on her back.

Loud shouts could be heard from all around you and you managed to catch sight of Percy Jackson in the distance, silver flag in hand, rushing to the creek. One of the huntresses was gaining on him, so you quickly aimed your arrow and sent it flying just over her shoulder, distracting her long enough for Percy to gain an advantage. Not making the same mistake twice, you quickly drew another arrow and aimed it at Celyn, who mimicked your actions. Before either of you could fire, the sound of Chiron’s horn echoed through the forest. The game had ended.

Celyn lowered her bow, giving you a quick once-over. “You’d make quite a good Huntress if you weren’t so distracted by those stupid boys.”

You narrowed your eyes at her. Part of you was flattered. When you were younger, you looked up to the Hunters of Artemis. However, given she was insulting your friends and patronizing you for having male friends, you were quite offended. “It’s called loyalty.” you retorted, lowering your bow and placing your arrow back into your quiver, “Having my friends’ back? They aren’t stupid boys. They are my friends, my _family_.”

Before Celyn could say anything else, you turned on your heels and headed over to the creek to see who had won the game. It quickly became apparent that the Hunters of Artemis had won, as Zoe had stuck the blue flag on the pole in the creek – where the victors always placed their flags. You could hear shouting, so you picked up your pace. You arrived at the scenes just in time to hear Thalia yell, “You want some, Seaweed Brain?”

“Bring it on, Pinecone Face!” Percy shouted in return, raising _Riptide_ to defend himself, before being struck in the chest by Thalia’s lightning-induced spear.

Your eyes widened in surprise, and you pushed through the crowd, looking up at Chiron in concern. He did not seem to be able to stop. Percy and Thalia seemed to be in their own little world. Thalia had been doused by creek water, Percy smelled like a barbecue.

“Percy, Thalia, stop!” you urged, surging forward as the creek water started to surge up. Michael pulled you back by your arm, not wanting you to get in between the two insanely powerful demigods. You frowned. You had to get them to stop somehow.

You were not really thinking when you did it. It was more of a reflex than an actual strategy. All you wanted was for them to stop fighting before they did some actual damage to each other. You summoned a small ball of light in your hand and hurled it between Percy and Thalia, accompanied with the shout, “That’s enough!”. You had not exactly been aiming for anything, but your ball of light had hit the blue flag, which was now on fire.

Percy immediately lost his concentration and the water splashed back into the creekbed. Thalia looked at the burning flag with wide eyes, before her eyes landed on you. Everyone was staring at you in surprise, confusion, and even admiration.

You awkwardly rubbed your neck, “Uh,” you said sheepishly, “I had to get you to stop somehow.”

Luckily, the awkward silence was not that long, as Connor and Travis clapped their hands. “That is awesome! I didn’t know you could do that!” Connor exclaimed a grin on his lips, directed at you. Travis gave you a thumbs up.

Nico was looking at you as if you were Apollo himself and Chiron was studying you intensely. He was about to speak when his gaze suddenly moved from your figure to something behind you. Turning around, you say the ghostly shape of the Oracle shuffling forward, shrouded in a murky green mist. “This is impossible,” Chiron muttered, swallowing nervously, “It. . . she had _never_ left the attic. . .”

No one moved. The incident with Thalia and Percy had been forgotten and you burning the flag had been a thing of the past. All eyes were on the Oracle.

A voice hissed inside your head and you instinctively clutched your ears as she addressed Zoe Nightshade. The voice inside your head was giving you a headache.

“What must I do to help my goddess?” Zoe asked.

The Oracle’s mouth opened and started pouring out green mist, the lines of a prophecy following: _Five shall go west to the goddess in chains,_ _One shall be lost in the land without rain,_ _The bane of Olympus shows the trail,_ _Campers and Hunters combined prevail,_ _The Titan's curse must one withstand,_ _And one shall perish by a parent's hand._

When the Oracle retreated to her usual mummified state, Chiron stepped forward and cleared his throat. “The Oracle had spoken. A quest will follow. I must discuss this with Mr. D. A council of cabin leaders will convene in the Big House after I have done so.” Then Chiron turned to you, and said your name, causing you to look at him with a surprised look on your features, “I would like to speak with you. If you would please accompany me to the Big house. . ”

You nodded at him, silently, taking your place beside him.

“Oh, and someone please return the Oracle to the attic,” Chiron ordered, before pulling you up on his back and trotting over to the big house. 

You looked back to see Percy staring at you with a look on his face that you could relate to. It read; _what in Hades is going on?_ You shrugged at him, indicating that you had no idea why Chiron wanted to talk to you. Was he upset with you for burning the flag? You thought it was not as bad as Percy and Thalia’s sudden outburst or the whole ordeal with the Oracle.

When you arrived at the big house, Chiron told you to wait in the Rec room while he informed Mr. D. You took a seat in one of the chairs, drumming your fingers on the table nervously. You were anxious about everything that had happened after the game. You were still filled with the adrenaline from capture the flag but it was starting to die down. It was swiftly replaced with anxiety as Chiron entered the rec room and Mr. D materialized in a chair in front of you.

A small gasp escaped your lips, surprised by the sudden appearance of Dionysus. You looked up at Chiron with large, confused eyes, “Am I in trouble?” you asked, a bit hesitantly.

Mr. D looked up at you with a shrug of his shoulders, “It depends on your definition of trouble,”

Chiron sighed at Mr. D’s words, shaking his head at you, “No, you are not in trouble,” he assured you. “We wanted to talk to you about a quest.”

You blinked, “A quest? You want me to go rescue Artemis?” you asked, referring to the prophecy the Oracle had just revealed.

Chiron shook his head, “No. This is a different quest, one that you are not allowed to share with the other campers. Not your friends, not your siblings. . . this has to stay between us. For now, at least.” Chiron looked wary. Mr. D looked bored. You were incredibly confused. Chiron continued, “The quest you will be going on is very dangerous and there is a possibility that you will not return from this quest.”

“The last one didn’t,” Mr. D said.

Chiron gave him a look and you were pretty sure that he was saying _not helping_. “Your photokinetic abilities make you unique and perfectly suited for this particular quest. I wanted to talk to you about this sooner, but you weren’t in the right headspace. .”

You knew that he was talking about your mother. Looking down at your hands for a moment, you sighed softly, taking a moment to consider what Chiron was telling you. He was quite vague about the quest. It was very important, though. You could gather that much. Why Chiron thought your photokinetic abilities would be of use on a quest was beyond you. The only things you had succeeded in were small things, and they were mostly flukes. Nevertheless, you knew that you could not say no. You had not had a quest yet and Chiron handpicked you for a super-secret and important mission. Of course, you were going to say yes. You looked up, your confused face replaced by a look of determination.

“Tell me what I have to do.”

———————————

You were walking by the lake, hands shoved in the pocket of your coat. After your talk with Chiron and Mr. D (though he did not really contribute much to the conversation), you decided to get some fresh and some time to think. You were certain that you made the right choice by deciding to accept the quest. Chiron told you that you had to go to the Oracle for a prophecy, but you were not in the mood to go straight after the talk. You were still a bit shaken by the sudden stroll the Oracle had decided to take in the woods.

Besides, you really wanted to talk to someone about the quest, but you were forbidden from doing so. The only thing you were allowed to say was that you were going on a quest but that you were not allowed to reveal any details. You decided to skip dinner because of that. You knew that people were going to ask you questions and you wanted to postpone that for the time being.

A figure approached and you let out a Greek curse. Michael was probably wondering why you were not at dinner and came looking for you. Once the figure came within view, you noticed that you were wrong. In front of you stood Percy Jackson, looking just as troubled as you were.

“No fair.” you said, greeting him as you came within a foot of each other, “I thought I was being original by walking around the late with a heavy heart and a lot on my mind.” It was an attempt at a joke to lighten the mood. Luckily, it made Percy smile. “What’s going on? What happened at the meeting?”

“I was looking for you, actually,” Percy admitted, sheepishly rubbing his neck. He had really needed someone to talk to. You were the first one that came to mind. “Michael said you might be here.”

You two sat down one of the benches located along the path that leads to the lake. Percy explained how The Hunters were going with two campers to find Artemis; Thalia and Grover. “It’s unfair that they won’t let me go. I’m the one who’s been having dreams about it. . . I’m the one who should be out looking for her. I let her down. .”

You had never seen Percy so upset before and it broke your heart. You placed your hand on his shoulder comfortingly, “I’m so sorry, Perce.” It was quiet for a moment and you knew exactly what Percy was thinking. He wanted to go anyway. It was not like he had not snuck out of camp to go on a quest before. He did it last year with the golden fleece.

“I think you should go.” you eventually said.

Percy looked at you, “What?”

“I know you’re thinking about going anyway and I think you should. You are having dreams about Annabeth for a reason. I think you are meant to go look for her. Besides, she’s your friend. It’s kind of your responsibility to do whatever you can to find her.” You removed your hand from his shoulder, your thoughts drawing to your own quest for a moment before you turned your head back to Percy to see that he was already looking at you.

“Will you come with me?” he asked and it surprised you. It also made you feel warm inside.

A small smile came to your lips, “Oh, Percy,” you sighed, “I can’t. I have my own quest to go on.” You felt absolutely horrible for having to decline. You were preaching that he should do whatever he could to help his friend, but you were not doing the same for him. Your quest was important as well, though. Percy could take care of himself.

Percy tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at you, though he did not seem upset that you said no. It almost seemed as if he had expected it. “Oh yeah, Zoe had requested that you be one of the campers that joined in on the quest, but Chiron said you were otherwise occupied. What’s that about?”

“I can’t tell you,” you admitted with a sympathetic smile, “At least not yet. I’ll tell you about it after my quest, I promise, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy.” You were surprised that Zoe had asked for you specifically. You must have impressed her in the game against the Hunters. 

Luckily, Percy did not pry. “I’ll hold you to that, sunshine.” A smile graced his features. It seemed like his conversation with you was making him feel better.

“So, I’m going to sneak off on a quest I’m not supposed to be on to save Annabeth from whatever Luke is planning and you are going on some top secret quest you can’t even tell your friends about that is probably incredibly dangerous.” Percy summarized humorously.

You shrugged your shoulders, a grin on your lips, “Welcome to the life of a half-blood.” You added, resting your head on Percy’s shoulder. You could feel Percy tense for a second, before he relaxed his shoulders and let out a relaxing sigh. The two of you sat there for a moment, looking up at the setting sun, sharing a comfortable silence.

“So,” Percy broke the silence. You looked up at him to see a mischievous smirk gracing his features. “You decided to set the flag on fire. Are you that much of a sore loser?”

Rolling your eyes, you punched his arm playfully, laughter coming from the lips of the son of Poseidon as he teased you about your little outburst. You and Percy beamed at each other, finding comfort in your friendship, forgetting the harsh reality that was to come for a brief moment. You were grateful to have someone like Percy Jackson in your life and Percy could not help but wonder what he could do without you.

You placed your head back on his shoulder, “Oh, shut up, Water boy.”

**Author's Note:**

>  **Timeline** : The Titan's Curse  
>  **Reader** : Fourteen years old  
>  **Percy** : Fourteen years old  
>   
>   
>  **Additional note:** so the reader is going on her own quest! I already know what the quest will be, but I decided to leave it as a little cliffhanger for now. The next installment will be the quest so Percy won't be in it, but it'll still have some Percy fluff. On another note, thank you guys so much for all your kind messages, and thank you for liking the story. My Heliophilia masterpost has reached 100 notes and that just means so much to me. So, thank you guys!


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